Kennel Club Streamlines Registration Options for Non-Pedigree Dogs

In order to provide a beneficial long term registration product for owners of crossbreeds, or purebred dogs without a Kennel Club recorded pedigree, the Kennel Club will no longer be accepting applications for its Companion Dog Club (CDC) register as of 1st August 2017. New or existing owners of these dogs will instead be encouraged to register them with the Kennel Club’s Activity Register.

The Kennel Club acknowledges that the interest and uptake in the Companion Dog Club has declined over the years and as such has made the decision not to accept any new additions to this registry and to enable dog owners to utilise the benefits of the Activity Register.

The Kennel Club launched the Companion Dog Club to enable owners of companion dogs, including crossbreeds, rescue dogs and purebred dogs with no recorded parentage details, to enjoy the benefits of being registered with the Kennel Club. The benefits available through the Activity Register now surpass those offered by the Companion Dog Club, and include enabling dogs to compete in activities such as agility, flyball, rally, obedience and canicross, as well as allowing for health test results to be recorded against a dog’s registration, which was not possible with the CDC register.

Records will remain in place with the Kennel Club for all existing members of the Companion Dog Club and they are still eligible to enter Companion Dog Club classes at companion dog shows, which will be the case for the foreseeable future. The Kennel Club encourages dog owners to enter companion dog shows to support the great charity work these shows do. In addition, CDC members will also continue to receive discounts to Eukanuba Discover Dogs and Crufts.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Like any service providing organisation, the Kennel Club wants to offer a service that will best benefit its customers. It is clear from the declining uptake in the Companion Dog Club over the years compared to the consistent popularity of the Activity Register that streamlining the registration options outside of the breed register is the sensible and practical way forward.

“Owners of crossbreeds, dogs that take part in canine activities and purebred dogs without a recorded pedigree can still apply for their dogs to be recorded on the Activity Register, which offers a number of benefits, including the recording of parentage details where known, health test results and the fact that it is joined up to the popular MyKC service – all things that were not possible with the Companion Dog Club.”

“We will continue to promote all companion dog shows through the Kennel Club website to encourage dog owners to enjoy this fun activity and to support local charities and communities.”